Humber Fashion Arts students showcased their commitment to sustainability during the annual Eco Closet event at the North campus yesterday.
The initiative began as a way to make clothing for internship interviews accessible to students and has since evolved to embrace eco-conscious fashion further.
Allison Skinner, a second-year fashion student, sold purses and bag charms from her brand Studio ADS at the Eco Closet.
In Grade 7 she began crocheting with her grandmother. With the craft’s surge in popularity in the past few years, she decided to open a business selling her crochet products.
“It started off as a hobby and then a lot of people started buying it, and now I just vendor certain events,” she said. “It’s basically just a hobby I turned into a job.”
Skinner said she was happy to connect with people attending the event and to get exposure from Humber students.
It’s just really nice to see who’s buying your stuff instead of it just being an online shop, she said.
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While Skinner sold her bags and charms at the event, other fashion students had roles in the fully student-run event.
Cristina Di Sotto, a second-year fashion student, was the event’s project manager. She chose to elect herself in this role, aiming to push herself out of her comfort zone.
“I’ve been in leadership positions at work and things like that ... so I kind of felt led to give it a try and put myself out there a little bit,” she said.
Di Sotto feels honoured to manage the event, showing how the fashion program promotes sustainability while simultaneously using knowledge from her courses to curate second-hand clothing and accessories for attendees.
The Eco Closet demonstrates Humber fashion students' commitment to accessible and sustainable style.
Humber Polytechnic’s Office of Sustainability recently announced plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2029, accelerating its original Climate Action Plan target of 2050 by 21 years.
At the Eco Closet, Gabi Hentschke, the sustainability communications and engagement coordinator at Humber’s Office of Sustainability, gave out sewing kits to encourage attendees to re-work the existing items in their wardrobe.
“I think it’s really cool to be creative first with what you already have at home,” she said. “You could either slightly change (an) item with ... sewing, mending or just accessorizing it and styling it in a different way.”
Attendees at the event were excited to shop for new clothes that aligned with their values of sustainability.
Cecilia Martins, a first-year Guelph-Humber business student, enjoys thrifting because it gives a second chance to clothes.
“Clothing is always in landfills and so I always try to be more environmental when it comes to purchasing clothes,” she said.
Martins bought a sweater and T-shirt at the start of the event and returned with a friend to have another look.
